As the one and only director of the center since it opened in 2008, Pride is excited to see the center move into a more spacious building located just west of Waynesville High School along Interstate 44.

“There will be more classrooms, more parking spaces, quiet study areas for students, and offices for instructors to meet with students or to have a quiet place to work,” she said.

“Having a place to call our own will be amazing. The new center will add to the student’s college experience. It will allow us to continue to grow and expand to serve the needs of the community.”

Pride has been with OTC since she started as an adjunct instructor at the OTC Lebanon Center in 2005.

The spouse of a retired solider, Pride and her husband moved to Fort Leonard Wood in 1992 and lived on post for five years.

“My college career began on Fort Leonard Wood. I completed a bachelor of science in Business Administration from Columbia College and an MBA and an MA in Procurement and Acquisition from Webster University in Rolla. I am currently pursuing a doctorate in Instructional Leadership at Lindenwood University,” she said.

When Pride became director of the Waynesville Center, she became responsible for day-to-day operations of the center. She hires office staff, adjunct faculty and other support staff.

“The scope of my responsibilities as an education center director is too broad to define. In other words, you must be a jack of all trades,” she said.

In the time Pride has been in charge of the center, it has experienced some of the best enrollment growth of any of the College’s centers or campuses.

“The Waynesville community has embraced OTC above and beyond my expectations,” she said.

Many who attend classes or work there point to Pride’s friendly, outgoing manner as one of the reasons for the center drawing large numbers of students.

“My approach to running the center is to be actively involved in what is going on at all times. My number one priority is hiring staff members that fit the culture of Waynesville,” she said.

“I try to promote a family atmosphere with a focus on student learning, student engagement, and student retention. A community college has a unique challenge because of its open enrollment policy. At Waynesville, we strongly believe that every student deserves a chance to succeed. Our motto is S.A.V.E. (Simply About Valuing Everybody).”